Of Rocks and Minnesota
by Kenian Rainn
Summary: Long awaited *ha!* sequel to "Of Leave and Baskets"! Read that one first so this one makes some sort of sense! SJ. OOC, at times. Rated T for safety. AU. Please, please R&R! Enjoy! Chapter FIVE up! COMPLETE!
1. Of PJR619

And now... the long awaited (haha) SEQUEL to: Of Leave and Baskets!!! Not sure if this one will be up to par... but I'm trying!!!

Without further adieu... Of Rocks and Minnesota

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**Chapter One**

The Stargate engaged.

"And we're off," Jack muttered as he and the rest of SG-1 walked through the wormhole. They emerged on the other side and Daniel immediately got excited and ran over to a bunch of rocks.

Ahem. Artifacts.

"I'll never understand how he can get so excited over a field of rocks," Jack exclaimed.

Sam laughed. "They aren't just rocks, sir. They're tablets filled with historical documents about the ancients."

"They look like rocks to me."

Sam rolled her eyes. Normally, she'd keep it to herself, afraid of the consequences to her career, even though she doubted the Colonel would ever write her up on it. But now, ever since their experience with Grace, they had a more relaxed friendship. They could honestly say they were friends, not only co-workers.

Grace. The mere thought of that little infant made Sam's eyes start to water. It had been over a year since she'd been dropped in her life. Jack's life. Their life. Yes, for those few days, it really seemed like something would come of it.

If only he'd been able to keep her... maybe they'd be something more. Instead, they pretended nothing happened between them. And really, nothing much had. But she still wished they could've acknowledged what happened, if they couldn't actually act upon it. At least she could finally call him Jack – in her mind, at least.

Her thoughts were interrupted by an insistent "Carter!"

"Yes sir?"

"I was asking if you want to stay here with Daniel and study these rocks... er, tablets, or if you wanted to secure the area with me."

She wanted to go with Jack, but she knew she should stay with Daniel.

"I'll help Daniel, sir."

"Suit yourself. Teal'c. You're with me."

The stoic man followed him in silence. Sam walked over to Daniel.

"Find anything yet?"

"Yes, in fact. This tablet describes a replicator-like enemy and how they were defeated!"

"Really?"

"Yes! This is big."

"The Colonel will be glad to hear it."

Daniel went back to his translation. Once Jack and Teal'c came back, they all carried the tablets through the gate.

Daniel immediately took the tablets to his lab and furthered his translation. The other three members of SG-1 attended the debriefing.

General Hammond decided to take SG-1 off active duty until Daniel was done.

"And how long will that be?" Jack questioned.

"Dr. Jackson estimates 5-7 days."

"Yes, sir," Sam said.

"Dismissed."

Jack went home and started his plans to go to his cabin. _I wonder if she'd go with me this time,_ he thought. _No, probably not._ He booked a plane and dozed off on the couch. He awoke to his cell phone and answered. He tried to sound awake as he said,

"Colonel O'Neill." A choked voice came through.

"Mr. O'Neill. It's about my mother, Hannah. She has... cancer."

The voice paused and held back a sob.

"She wants you and Samantha to see her before she dies."

Jack came out of his shock and said, "Of course, we can do that. What hospital is she in?"

"St. John's Hospital in Denver."

"We'll be there tomorrow morning, is that okay?"

"Yes," the voice choked out before hanging up.

Once he had gotten off the phone, he realized he had just volunteered Sam to go to see a dying woman whom they barely knew.

Okay, well they knew her. She was Grace's grandmother. She'd sent pictures every month and Jack had cried every month because Grace was so grown up already and it killed him every time because he knew that it had been another month since he'd held her.

And then he felt even more pity for himself because he realized it'd been another month since he'd kissed Sam. And another month that they hadn't talked about it.

Even though he knew they shouldn't had let it happen, he still wanted to talk about it.

To find out if she regretted it.

He decided now was better than later and called Sam. She answered her cell phone quickly. Too quickly, if you asked Jack.

"Carter," she stated.

"Sam."

Now she started to worry. The Colonel only called her Sam when there was something wrong, some sort of news he didn't want to break to her, when he was worried for her safety, her life.

"I have some bad news..." Jack began.

"Grace's grandmother, Hannah..." he paused.

"She has recently discovered that she has cancer."

Sam gasped and before she knew it, she'd started to cry. She wasn't sobbing, but her face was soaking wet.

"She wants to see us before... you know... and I kind of said we'd both go. Tomorrow morning."

"You did?"

"Look, I'm sorry, but her son was crying so hard and I couldn't put it off and tell him I had to ask you first. I'm sorry, and I'll go by myself if you don't want to."

"Don't be sorry. I'll go with you."

"All she has is Grace and her son. We're her only friends."

"Which hospital is she at?"

"St. John's in Denver. Since it takes an hour and a half to get to Denver, so we should leave around 7:30. Does that sound okay?"

"Yes, sir."

He sighed inwardly at the 'sir'. "Should I pick you up?"

"That sounds fine."

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There it is! Short, I know... but the next one should be longer...

Please R&R!!! Reviews make my day brighter!!!

Chapter two will be up soon!


	2. Of Hannah and Jasper

Here is chapter two... almost double the length of the first chapter... thanks for all the reviews!!! Keep 'em coming!!! :D

_mynameisme - I'm glad you're enjoying the sequel! This is the first time I've attempted such, so wish me luck! ;)_

_not a zatarc - J/S bonding earns a 'yay' from me too!! :)_

_LadyMo - Your wish is my command!_

And, now - our feature presentation!!! *claps wildly*

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**Chapter Two**

So the next morning, he picked her up at a quarter after seven and they headed off to Denver.

Neither commented on the fact that Jack had left Grace's car-seat in his car for over a year.

The conversation was painfully lacking, just a few brief sentences about 'those rocks', as Jack called them. Sam was relieved when they finally reached the hospital. Jack picked up on the fact that Sam didn't like hospitals, he assumed that they brought back memories about her mother. The truth was that they brought back memories of Charlie for him. When he was born, when he died.

Silently, Jack took Sam's hand in his and squeezed it briefly before letting go. The both walked into the hospital, both lost in their own memories.

Before long they had found the cancer ward and Hannah's son.

He was still young, only about 19. Somehow, he found his way into Sam's arms and, as uncomfortable as it made her, she held him for a moment so he could regain his composure.

"I'm so sorry about your mother, Jasper," Sam spoke, softly.

He let go and took a few steps back.

"Thank you, Samantha. She wants to speak to you both."

They silently followed him into Hannah's room. Sam gasped when they entered the room.

The woman who had looked so young, been so lively, was now laying in a hospital bed with all sorts of monitors and IVs hooked up to her. She was struggling to keep her eyes open and she looked... well she looked just plain... old. Trying desperately to hold on to life... as if she was 75 instead of 45.

Jack put his arm around Sam's waist when he saw how uncomfortable she was. They slowly made their way over to Hannah's bed. The woman tried to speak to them, but could only get out a few words at a time.

"Jack, Samantha... The doctors say... I only have a few days left... I wanted to see you... because I wanted... to make sure... that Grace was taken care of."

"We'll do everything to make sure she gets placed with the best family possible, we'll make sure it happens," Jack spoke softly.

"No," Hannah protested, as strongly as she could.

"I want you to have her... Grace. No one deserves... her as... much as you... both do."

"But, we can't..."

"I wanted you... here to promise me... that you'll take... Grace. My will... states that she... belongs to you now... promise me... promise that you'll... take care of her... that you'll keep her... please."

Tears were openly falling down Sam's face now and Jack was fighting very hard to hold back the tears that were threatening him.

Jack gave Sam a glance and she nodded. He built up his courage and uttered the words, "We promise."

Hannah smiled. "Thank... you."

They stood there for a few minutes in silence, until Hannah's heart monitor started to speed up and she closed her eyes and rolled her head to one side.

Jasper called desperately for a doctor. The doctor rushed in, but he was too late. Hannah was gone.

Jasper broke down and slid down onto the floor. Sam started to sob and Jack took her into his arms. His t-shirt was growing more and more soaked, but he didn't care. A tear ran down his face, one single tear for the woman who had just passed.

The doctor finally ushered the three s out of the room. Jasper had managed to calm himself down a little.

"Our lawyer said that if you agreed to take Grace, he'd sign custody over to you right away. His office is downtown."

"Thank you. Where is Grace?"

"Um, the hospital has a nursery on the third floor. She's there. I'll go with you to sign her out."

The walked into the elevator and rode up to the third floor. Jasper signed Grace out and handed her to Sam.

"Thank you for all of your help," Jasper said.

"Please keep in touch, Jasper," Sam said.

"I will. Here are all the things you'll need for Grace," he said as he handed Jack two bags. "Here is the lawyer's address. I called him and he said you could come right over and sign the papers for custody. My mother made it as easy as she could."

"Thank you. Here's my home phone number. If you need anything, or want to talk, or if you want to see Grace... just call and let us know." Jack handed him a piece of paper with his number on it.

"I will. Goodbye." With that, he walked off. They rode the elevator down and put Grace in the car. Then they both climbed into Jack's car and started to drive to the lawyer's office.

"Thank you... for what you did back there," Sam stated softly. "I mean, I've watched people die before... but it's never like that."

"It is totally different than some Jaffa. In this situation... you're dealing with completely people who deserve to keep on living."

"Yeah, I guess its a big difference."

They walked into the lawyer's office, signed a whole bunch of papers, and when they walked out, they were the legal parents of a 15 month old baby .

"I still can't believe she's ours," Jack stated, shock evident in his voice.

"Me neither."

Grace was asleep the whole way home. When they finally got back to Jack's house, Sam took Grace out of her car-seat and Jack went to get her old things out from the attic.

Sam rocked the sleeping child in her arms while Jack set up the crib. When he finished, Sam set her inside and covered her with a blanket.

"Good thing you bought a big crib," Sam said smiling. "I can't believe how much she's grown."

"It's been a year, Sam. I'm sure she's changed a lot."

"I can't believe we haven't actually seen her in that long."

She looked down at the sleeping g irl in front of her. Her blond hair was getting long. It had almost passed her shoulders. Sam had noticed Grace's eyes had now turned from blue to a beautiful brown.

She sat down on the couch still in a daze. She didn't even notice when Jack sat down beside her. He quietly asked, "What's wrong?"

She jumped slightly before realizing that Jack was beside her now, instead of across the room.

"Tell me this isn't all a dream," she stated.

Jack saw a look of desperation in her eyes, a look he had never seen before.

"This isn't a dream, Sam. It's all real."

And in that moment, she let all the tears she'd been holding back since they left the hospital fall freely. She put her head in her hands and started to sob. This made Jack a little uncomfortable. He didn't know if she wanted him to be there for her or leave her alone.

He decided on a compromise and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. She pulled her head from her hands and wiped her tears away.

"I'm sorry," she apologized without looking up at him.

"Don't apologize. This has been a hard day for both of us. And Grace."

"I'm really not usually this emotional, I'm really not."

"I know."

"I just don't know whether to be all emotional because Hannah died or emotional because we finally have Grace."

"It's confusing, isn't it."

"Yeah, it is."

They sat side by side on the couch, lost in their own thoughts for few moments. Rather suddenly, Jack stood up.

"Jack? Are you okay?"

"Look, I know what we should do."

"Okay..."

"I booked a flight for early tomorrow morning to my cabin. I was going to cancel it, but I realized that you and Grace should come with me. That way, we can get some relaxation on our leave and also have a few days in the middle of nowhere to figure everything out."

"That sounds like a good idea!"

"And why is that so surprising?"

For the first time that day, Sam smiled a real smile at Jack. Something he prided himself on.

"I should go back home and pack."

"I'll call the airport and get another ticket.

"What time does the flight leave?"

"9:30."

"Okay. I'll be back in about an hour."

"Actually, can you pick up these things at the store before you come back?" He handed her a list. "Grace really needs some things."

"Grace needs beeer?"

"Okay, so maybe that's for me..."

"Make that an hour and a half."

Jack handed her the keys and she picked up her purse.

"Don't crash my car, Sam."

"Aw... I was looking forward to that!" She smiled and walked out of the house.

And as if on cue, Grace woke up and started to cry.

"Gwamma!"

Jack walked over and picked her up.

"Hey Grace. I know you don't remember me, but I sure remember you."

He kissed her forehead and rubbed her back until she calmed down. He picked up the phone and made the changes to his flight and made sure everything was in order.

He set Grace down on the floor and walked into the kitchen. She toddled after him and opened a cupboard. Jack caught her and scooped her up in his arms.

"Well, I see this is going to be a problem."

He walked her back into the living room and set her in the crib. He turned to walk back into the kitchen, but Grace started to scream and cry. He picked her up and she calmed right down.

"I see. You like to be held, do you?"

He carried her into the kitchen and made himself a sandwich, using only one hand.

"Well, I haven't had to do this is a while."

Eating the sandwich was another matter entirely. Grace kept trying to grab his sandwich. He broke off a little piece and gave it to her.

However, she was only pleased for a moment.

"Mo'," she cried.

In the end, most of his sandwich had ended up in Grace's stomach.

"See, that's not fair, Grace. I was hungry!"

Grace just smiled.

He laid down on his couch, with Grace in his arms, and they both fell asleep.

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And there it is? Liked it? Didn't like it? Just press that pretty little button down there and let me know!

I really appreciate the reviews - thank you so much!!!


	3. Of Airplanes and Minnesota

And here is chapter three! This one kind of wrote itself, so it may be a little rough... I wrote it really fast, it may be rushed, not sure...

_Fantasy Forest - I can't believe the series didn't conclude either... It made me a bit mad! ;) As for your questions - wait and see!_

_angel in pink - I love Grace too - it's really fun to write her character!_

_Trinitystargazer3 - I'm glad you like it! And I'll fix that nit right away!_

And now... *drumroll*... CHAPTER THREE!

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**Chapter Three**

Sam walked into the house half an hour later and saw Jack and Grace sleeping. They both looked so peaceful, so happy, it almost broke her heart. A tear ran down her cheek, and she batted it away.

_God! Why am I so emotional today?_ Deep down, she knew why. It wasn't just because Hannah died or because she was suddenly a mother. No, the real reason stemmed deep below the events of the day. But she wasn't quite ready to admit that reason to herself.

She tiptoed into the kitchen and started to put the things she bought away. Then she put her suitcases in the guest room. When she came out of the room, she tripped over a bag she had forgot to put away. She caught herself, but the contents of the bag went spilling out everywhere, waking Jack up with a start.

"Sam?" he cried, sounding a bit too desperate.

"I'm fine. I just tripped."

He walked over to her. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes. I'm fine."

"Are you hungry? It's past dinnertime."

"Yes, what are we having?"

"I have a frozen pizza."

"That sounds surprisingly good."

"Okay, I'll make it up."

He went into the kitchen and Grace woke up and walked over to Sam.

"Up," she stated.

So, Sam picked her up.

"And how are you doing today, Grace?"

"Good!"

"Jack? Did you get the tickets straightened out?"

"Yep. I'll load up the car tonight and we'll need to leave around 8:30."

"Okay, I'll pack up the things that Grace needs."

He put the pizza in the oven and Sam handed Grace to him. Then she went off to pack for Grace.

After eating pizza, Jack filled the car with all of their things to take on the plane.

"How long is the flight, Jack?" His face lit up yet again at how easily she'd gotten into the habit of using his name.

"Almost two hours."

"I've never flown with a kid before."

"I flew with Charlie a few times, when he was little."

"How did it go?"

"It was... interesting."

"We'll have to see how she does."

"I'm sure she'll be okay."

"Well, I should go to bed."

"Goodnight Sam."

"Goodnight Jack."

With that she was off to bed.

The next morning, she was up and showered by 7:30. By then, Grace had woken up and Sam fed her while Jack got ready. She changed Grace out of her pajamas and put her into the car. They were off right before 8:30.

They checked in and boarded the plane in good time, but Grace had already started getting restless. Jack had brought a etch-a-sketch along which seemed to occupy Grace until she was ready to take a nap. She woke up just before they landed.

"Well, that could've gone a lot worse," Sam said, relieved.

"Yeah, see. I told you she'd be fine."

They got into the rental car Jack had arranged for and it even came with a car-seat installed.

A half-hour later, they had arrived at the cabin.

"Jack! It's beautiful!"

Sam got out of the car and opened the trunk. She grabbed a couple suitcases. Jack got Grace out of the car and they headed into the cabin.

"Wow! This place is amazing!" Sam said, once they were inside.

"I tried to tell you."

"You and I both know I couldn't say yes back then."

"That reason still stands, you know."

"Don't remind me if you don't want me to leave..."

"I don't want you to leave, Sam. I've been trying to drag you up here for eight years. And now I finally have gotten my chance."

"Yes, you have."

"I'm going to call the General and inform him of the... events of the past few days."

"I'll go get the rest of our things out of the car."

Jack pulled out his cell phone (thanks to Teal'c he finally knew he had reception) and dialed General Hammond's office.

Sam took her suitcases into one of the bedrooms and put Jack's bags in the other. She put Grace's things in the living room, since she wasn't quite sure where she would be sleeping.

She overheard Jack finish up his conversation with the General.

"Yes, sir." Pause. "That sounds great." Pause. "Thank you, sir." Pause. "Goodbye." He hung up his phone and walked back into the living room, where Sam was standing.

"General Hammond says that he'll put SG-1 on leave until I... we figure out the Grace situation."

"Gwace!" Grace squirmed in his arms. "Me!"

Jack handed her to Sam.

"What time is it, Sam?"

She glanced at her watch.

"1300."

"Lunch?"

"Sure, sounds great... but we don't have any food."

"I'll have to go get some then, won't I?"

"Okay, Jack."

He picked up the keys and went out the door.

"Well, Grace. Let's see what we brought for you, shall we?"

She opened up one of Grace's bags and found clothes, blankets, and diapers. She opened the other bag and found some books and toys.

"Okay Grace, what do you want to play with?"

"Book!"

"Which book?" She held out two choices for her. Grace pointed to one.

"Cinderella? That's a great book."

Sam sat down with Grace on her lap and started to read. She soon noticed that this was an adapted, younger version of Cinderella, but Grace seemed to enjoy it all the same.

When they finished that book, they sat down on the ground and played with a 5 piece puzzle. Grace took great pleasure in putting the puzzle together, and then taking it apart, throwing pieces all over the place.

Almost an hour later, Jack finally came back to the cabin. He started to put the groceries away and Grace ran (as best she could) over to him.

Sam put the various toys and books back into Grace's bag and walked over to help put things away.

"I see you guys had fun," he said, teasing Sam.

"Yes we did. Something wrong with that?"

"Nothing at all, Sam."

Their eyes locked and they slowly moved closer to each other, until Grace decided she was hungry.

"Eat," she insisted. When that didn't work she toddled over to Jack and pulled on his pant leg. "Eat!"

They were pulled out of the trance and Jack started making lunch. Sam noticed that Jack had a high-chair sitting by his dining table. She gently placed Grace in it and Jack brought the food over to the table.

They ate in, for the most part, silence, only interrupted when Grace wanted more to eat or drink.

They finished eating and Jack took the plates over to the sink and put them in.

"Jack," Sam started.

"Yes?"

"Since you're here, I decided you might want to do a little fishing. I'd be willing to watch Grace while you do." She was hopeful that he'd accept, because she knew he had planned this trip so he could fish. By himself.

"That sounds great," he began, "if you really don't mind."

"Not at all."

"I'll go do that right away." He grabbed his fishing pole and his jacket and pulled a lawn chair onto the dock.

Sam smiled to herself, thankful that he would be able to get a little relaxation time in before they had to make any of the life-altering decisions. Yes, those could wait until later.

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Love it? Abhorred it? Let me know! Brighten my day with a quick review!

Chapter four should be up soon... not sure where the story is going quite yet, though.


	4. Of Decisions and GraceSafe

Here is chapter four... I wasn't sure where I wanted the story to go, so this one is a little rough.

The Thank You's:

Leighawen - Thank you... I will!!! :)

mynameisme - I'm really glad you're liking the story... and I included your idea in this chapter, it's short though.

LadyMo - Life-altering decisions are fun to write! lol

Fantasy Forest - The life-altering decisions are in this chapter... if you look hard enough. ;)

Leilena - Yeah, chapter two was hard to write... *tissue alert*... but the story is getting happier now, yay!

Alys5 - I'm so excited you're enjoying my story... I know I love writing for you all!

Reviews Are 3

And now - chapter FOUR!!!

**

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Chapter Four**

Sam walked back into her room and noticed that there was now a crib inside. _How did I miss Jack putting that in here?_ She wondered. She put Grace's bags beside the crib and picked her up.

"It's been a long day, you're probably tired aren't you?"

"Sweepy," she said, before laying her head down on Sam's shoulder and closing her eyes.

Sam applauded her intuition and before long, Grace was fast asleep. She put her down in the crib gently and grabbed her jacket and a lawn chair. She quietly went outside and put her lawn chair down beside Jack's on the dock.

"The lake is gorgeous, isn't it?" She inquired. She was momentarily afraid she'd disrupted him, but he didn't seem to mind.

"See, I told you. I even tried to advertise with a big bass and loons, but no... your lab work was more fun." She smiled and he laughed. "I'm glad you're here now, though."

"Me too."

They sat there in silence for a few moments, before Sam spoke.

"Well, I should probably get back inside to check on Grace, she's napping."

"Okay. I'll be back inside soon."

Sam stood up and picked up her chair. "Take your time, no rush."

She put the chair back on the deck and walked inside quietly.

She took off her jacket, grabbed her book (nothing work related, Jack should be proud!) and sat down on the couch to read it.

An hour later, Jack came inside and Grace woke up. Sam set down her book and walked into her room, where Grace was, and picked her up out of the crib. She carried her out to the kitchen.

"I bought some steaks for dinner, if that's okay with you," Jack stated.

"Yeah, that sounds really good."

"I'll turn on the grill now."

He left through the back door. Sam set Grace on the floor and poured herself a glass of water. Grace walked over to her bag of toys and pulled out a book. She carried it over to Sam.

"Wead!" She handed the book to Sam and Sam picked her up. They sat down on the couch and started to read the book, Little Red Riding Hood.

They finished reading and Jack brought a plate of steaks in to the house. Sam gave Grace some chicken noodle soup and they all sat down at the table.

"These are really good, Jack."

"I'm glad."

"Yummy!" Grace yelled, prompting smiles and laughs from her parents.

_Parents,_ Sam thought, the word still being very foreign to her. _Parents._

After they finished eating, Sam cleared the table and Jack did the dishes. Grace picked up her toys and put them in her bag, arranging them in a very precise manner.

Around 8:30, everyone was growing tired. Grace laid her head down on Jack's shoulder.

"Bedtime?" Sam questioned.

"Sounds good to me."

Sam went into the bathroom to change first. When she came out, Jack had already gotten Grace to sleep.

"Good night, Jack."

"Night, Sam."

Sam made her way to her room and got into the bed, which was very comfortable.

Grace woke her up at midnight, Sam gave her some water and she fell back asleep.

Sam woke up to Grace crying at 3:30, she had a bad dream. It took a little while, but Sam was able to calm her down enough to get her back to sleep. She put Grace back in her crib and got back in bed.

Before she fell back asleep, she heard Jack get up and sneak out the back door. She wasn't going to follow him, but her curiosity of what he was doing up at 4 in the morning got the best of her. She got up, pulled on her coat, and went outside.

She found Jack sitting on the deck, staring out into the dark night.

"Jack."

He didn't know she was standing there, and was briefly confused.

"Sam? Did I wake you?"

"I was already awake. Is something wrong?"

"Just... a lot on my mind."

She sat down in the chair beside him.

"Same here."

They were both silent for a few moments.

"Do you want to talk about it now?" Sam inquired.

"I won't be able to sleep if we don't."

"Okay, so talk."

"Well, we have to figure out what we're going to do about Grace."

"Yes, we do."

"So. Does she trade off weeks at our houses?"

"I don't think that's very fair to her."

"Me neither."

"And what about work?"

"I'll retire."

"I can't let you do that!"

"I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it for Grace."

Sam looked down. Jack realized how his last sentence sounded and quickly corrected himself.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

"I know."

"So... I retire and take care of her when you're off-world."

"Jack. She's already lost her mother and her grandmother. I can't let her lose me too."

"She won't..."

"But if anything did happen to me... I couldn't let that happen to her."

"So, you resign? You ask to be taken off SG-1?"

"I could still work at the base when they needed me."

"So, you work as a civilian and I stay on SG-1. What about Grace?"

"I take care of her when you're off-world."

"And when I'm on Earth?"

"We could take care of her together."

"We could."

"Does that solve everything that was on your mind, Jack?"

_No,_ Jack thought, but he wasn't willing to share the other thoughts with Sam. Especially with Sam.

"That's about it."

Sam glanced at her watch.

"It's already 5."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm going back to bed."

He got up and she followed. He went to his room, she went to hers.

Elated that Grace was still asleep, she curled up in her bed and drifted off.

Around 7, Grace woke up and Jack came in and took her out of the crib. He grabbed some toys and books out of her bag and sat down on the couch.

That's where Sam found them an hour later. Jack and Grace on his lap, facing him, and he was reading her a book. The identity of the book was quickly disclosed to Sam (who was hiding around the corner so she could watch), as Jack put on his best voices to read the next portion of the book.

"Papa Bear said, 'Someone's been sleeping in my bed!' Mama bear said 'Someone's been sleeping in my bed too!' Baby bear yelled 'Someone's been sleeping in my bed and there she is!' "

With that Grace giggled and Jack started to tickle her. Pleased that they were having such a good time together, Sam went back into the guest room and got dressed. She ran her fingers through her hair and inspected the dark circles under her eyes. She sighed and went out into the living room, where Jack and Grace were still having a tickle-fight.

Upon seeing Sam, Grace got away from Jack and ran up to her. Sam picked her up and gave her a hug.

"Did we wake you?" Jack asked.

"No, I was awake."

"Are you hungry?"

"Gwace hungee!"

"I'm hungry, too," Sam replied.

"Well, how do pancakes and eggs sound?"

"That sounds great!"

"Yum," Grace yelled.

With that, Jack walked into the kitchen and started to prepare breakfast. Sam sat down on the couch and played with Grace until he was done.

After breakfast, Jack politely asked Sam if he could go out and fish.

"You're a big boy, Jack. You don't need my permission."

"So... is that a yes?"

Sam smiled.

"Yes, Jack. You can go fish."

"Thank you!"

He grabbed his pole and went outside.

Sam set Grace down to play with her toys and sat down on the couch with her book.

She didn't notice when Grace walked away or what she found on the floor. Grace walked over to Sam and held up the treasure she had found on the floor.

"Look!" she said to Sam.

Sam was not as excited as Grace was when she saw that Grace had found a fishing hook. She carefully removed it from her hand and scolded Grace.

"I'm sorry," Grace said, tearfully.

Sam set the fish hook on a high shelf, assuring herself she'd show it to Jack when he came back inside.

When Jack did come back inside, Sam wordlessly picked up the fish hook and showed it to him.

"Where did you find that?"

"I didn't find it. Grace did."

Jack stood up from the table and walked over to the closet. He pulled out a tub full of baby-proofing equipment and got to work.

Sam didn't know how to operate half of the things in the tub, but figured it out quickly. A half-hour later, the cabin was completely 'Grace-Safe'.

Jack took Grace for a walk around the lake and surrounding areas, while Sam took a nap on the couch.

Sam woke up shortly before Jack and Grace returned. Grace ran inside with a flower in her hand and raced over to Sam yelling, "Mommy!"

Sam was startled by what Grace had called her. She took the flower from Grace and gave her a hug.

"Thank you, Grace."

Jack was equally shocked by Grace calling Sam 'mommy'.

"Did you put her up to that, Jack?"

He shook his head. "No, I was just as surprised as you are."

Sam felt overwhelmed by how quickly Grace had adjusted to her new parents and started to cry.

"Mommy sad."

Grace climbed onto Sam's lap.

"No Grace, I'm happy."

Grace was obviously confused until Sam started to smile. Grace smiled back.

Jack couldn't help feeling just a little left out, but the feeling passed quickly.

"Do you want a snack, Grace?"

"Yes, pwease!"

She ran over to him and leaped into his arms. Sam wiped her eyes and Jack walked Grace into the kitchen.

_I can't believe how lucky I am, _Sam thought. _I have everything I've ever dreamed of having. A great job, wonderful friends, a daughter... well, almost everything. _

Sam put on her jacket and headed out on a walk to clear her head.

_I have more than anyone can dream of! There are so many people who don't have anything I do. So why do I keep wanting more? I have everything I need and more... why can I never be happy until I have the one last thing on my list? The one thing to make my whole life complete?_

_Jack._

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SO??? Liked it? Didn't? Let me know!!! Ideas are welcome!

Reviews make **my** life complete! ;D


	5. Of Forgetting and Regrets

Here is the concluding chapter... it's short, but I just had to get it finished... I hope you like it!

Thank you to everyone who reviewed - I appreciate each and every one!

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**Chapter Five**

Sam walked back into the cabin with all her feelings out in the open. She wanted to say something to him... to find out if what they had shared a year before was real... to find out if he regretted it.

She knew she didn't. And she wanted it to be real... not just something brought on by taking care of a baby... not something caused by becoming a little 's guardian.

Jack had put Grace down for her nap and was reading a book, a comic book to be exact, on the couch. He had started a fire to take the edge off the cold day and it was already growing dark outside. She sat down beside him.

"Hey. Did you enjoy your walk?"

"Yeah. It's no wonder you spend all your free time here."

"It's a nice place to go to forget about... everything that's holding you back... everything that's troubling you."

_A place to forget... everything. _Sam thought.

"I don't want to forget!" Sam blurted out.

Jack was clearly confused. "Excuse me?"

"I don't want to forget what happened. When Grace was here... the first time."

Realization washed over Jack's face. "Oh! Oh that."

"Yeah, that."

"You don't want to forget."

"Do you?"

"No, I don't want to forget."

"Do you... regret it?"

"Do you?"

"No fair. I asked first."

Jack thought for a moment, and then whispered, "No. I regret a lot of things I've done... that's not one of them." He paused for a moment. "What about you?"

"Jack... I don't regret it at all. And no one... no thing... can make me forget it."

"And you're sure?"

She nodded. "Positive."

Then Jack made a command decision. He took her face in his hands and kissed her.

He pulled away slowly.

"You realize if the General knew I was resigning... that wouldn't be wrong anymore?"

"He knows."

She was clearly confused. "How... what?"

"I called him and told him our plans before you got up."

"What did he say?"

"I believe he said... 'Well, it's about time, son.'"

"You're kidding."

"Nope."

This time Sam kissed him. They were a little... preoccupied when Grace woke up and started to cry.

"Mommy!" When that didn't work, she tried, "Daddy!"

Well, this got Jack's attention. He stood up and went to get her out of her crib.

He shook his head and mumbled, "She really is worse than Daniel."

Sam broke out into a smile. Now... her life was finally complete.

**Two Years Later**

Sam walked into her daughter's room. The now three-year-old had put herself to bed. Sam pulled the covers up around her and kissed her forehead.

She walked over to the crib that once belonged to Grace and picked up the little blue bundle that lay inside. Her son. Jack's son. _Their_ son. Little Jacob opened his eyes and stared at her. All was silent as she was mesmerized by her little baby.

Jack came up and put his arm around her waist.

"He has to sleep sometime, you know."

"I know... I just can't believe he's finally here. I finally have everything I've ever dreamed of."

She gently placed him back in his crib and she and Jack both stared at him for a moment, until Jack quietly cleared his throat.

"Are you coming back to bed, Mrs. O'Neill?"

"Yes, sir."

fin.

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So? How did you like my conclusion? Press that little button down there and let me know!

I don't think I'll be making another one off this idea... though I didn't plan on a sequel, so you never know!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed and read my story... even more thanks to those who gave me ideas... *huggles*


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